


Eyes On You

by toastandvegemite



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: F/M, Jealousy, Old Men Being Inappropriate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-01
Updated: 2018-03-01
Packaged: 2019-03-25 14:01:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13836261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toastandvegemite/pseuds/toastandvegemite
Summary: Channeling the Moulin Rouge vibes.Tessa is required to attend a gala with another man and Scott doesn't handle it well.





	Eyes On You

Scott had known for a long time that money talked. The world they lived it was certainly unusual and often the realities of every day life were at a distance, but that was one thing he’s known from an early age. Money bought skates, costumes and paid for competitions. Money made things happen. In this case, money was going to pay for a set of new scholarships for Canadian kids who wanted to be elite skaters.

Attending a gala dinner for the man who wanted to finance the scholarships didn’t seem like a problem, he and Tessa had attended more galas and benefits over the last twenty years than he could remember.

Scott never really enjoyed them, having to dress up and smile continuously for an entire night wasn’t his style. He preferred to keep his performances on the ice. Tess was better at playing the part of the perfect athlete, better at saying _thank you_ and _you’re so kind_ and really meaning it. They usually went together, which allowed Scott to blow off steam by making jokes to Tessa under his breath, and then he could be rewarded with her laughter and the tension in his shoulders would relax a fraction.

She wasn’t standing next to him tonight. Scott felt her absence like he had lost is balance, a weight by his side that he was used to accounting for with every step suddenly gone. He wanted to ask her what she thought of about the food, the weather and his outfit. Scott didn’t even like talking to people without her - _this is Scott Moir_ , people introduced him as, and the sentence felt unnatural with Tessa’s name attached.

Scott knew that his dependancy on her wasn’t particularly normal or healthy. But he had three Olympic gold medals and twenty years of good memories to show for it. And tonight, walking alone through a crowd of smartly dressed elites and frustrating sycophants, Scott thought a bit of co-dependancy with Tessa would have been very welcome, rather than watching another man lead her around the room. 

Part of the deal tonight had been that their generous benefactor wanted a night in the company of Tessa Virtue. Just Tessa, no Scott. Everyone had said yes, because what was a few hours of Tessa hanging off some rich man’s arm in exchange for the opportunities he was offering the next generation of ice skaters. 

As they trained today, Scott had teased her about it and said he hoped Tess’a company was all the man wanted, but even as he’d said it there was a sudden tightness in his chest at the uncomfortable look in her eyes. Scott knew Tessa better than anyone else, and he knew she was respectful and courteous to a fault, and that she would never say no to something like this… even when he could tell in that moment that she desperately didn’t want to do it.

He’d stopped teasing her. And now, staring across the crowded ballroom at the fat, wrinkled hand resting low on her back, he had to stop himself going over to tear Tessa away from the stupid obligation they had all agreed to.

Patrick had started hovering next to him, clearly noticing that Scott was four drinks deep and getting angrier by the second. 

“It’s just a couple of hours,” Patrick repeated for the second time that night. Scott summoned something that was close to a smile in response, and then plastered on something more real when a pair of Skate Canada people came to say hello. He deliberately moved so that his back was towards Tessa, because otherwise he’d keep staring at her and he wouldn’t be able to hide his frustration.

It’s not like she was in danger, he tried to tell himself. Tessa was more than capable of walking away if the man got any ideas (but even as he thought it, Scott knew that Tessa would let things gets further than they should, would put up with a lot of before she would risk those scholarships).

It was his job to always be watching her. To make sure she was okay. To support her when she was flying high through the air and be there to catch her when she came down. It was engrained in his soul to keep Tessa safe and that fucking hand was still resting on her back, now with a thumb moving up at down.

The man looked at Tessa like trophy, like a pretty attraction to be shown off. He didn’t even know her and he kept touching her.

Scott shouldn’t be drinking, but that didn’t stop him walking over to the bar to signal for another beer. His suit felt tight and he was sweating, and he couldn’t suppress the conscious longing for Tessa concerned eyes focussed on him and noticing how much we wanted to leave. It’s always him watching her and finding her eyes right there to greet him.

“Fuck,” he muttered to nobody in particular, and he looked over towards her again.

There were some other men with her now, four of them laughing and staring at her, and Tessa politely raising her champagne glass to her lips. Their benefactor - a fat slug of a man that Scott could barely stand to look at - raised a hand and had the audacity to nudge the glass back to her lips when she tried to lower it.

A pause, and then Tessa complied, swallowing the rest of the glass.

Scott face was dark and he almost began to move towards them, when Patrick appeared next to him and grabbed his arm.

“Don’t, man,” he said, frowning and looking unhappy.

“This is bullshit,” replied Scott, but he settled. He wouldn’t look away again. He didn’t know if they were trying to get her drunk or they were simply sleazy old men enjoying the captive attention of a beautiful Olympic gold medalist, but Scott wasn’t going to ignore all the instincts that told him Tessa was in danger of losing her balance and might need him to steady her. 

He stood by the bar for the rest of the evening, and then followed behind when finally it looked like the event was winding down and Tessa was being led towards the door.

If it looked like she was going to leave with him, Scott would step in. He didn’t care about the politics of the situation or a possible over-reaction, there was only one man Tessa would be leaving with tonight - him.

They reached the front steps and Scott hovered in the door, listening.

‘Are you sure you don’t want to come along for a night cap, dear?” asked the man. Tessa laughed lightly and it sounded painful to Scott’s ears, able to hear her tireless and frayed nerves.

“Oh no, I’ve got training early and it’s getting late.”

“Well, it’s certainly been my pleasure. You’re a beautiful girl, just beautiful, so much more in person. I hope I’ll be seeing you again.”

He kissed her hand and Scott’s jaw clenched tight, praying this was it. 

Finally - mercifully - the man turned and got into his waiting car. Tessa waved politely as he drove off, and Scott was with her in a second, moving in behind her and feeling the moment she relaxed against him.

“Hi,” said Scott, his arm sliding around Tess’a waist - possessive, reassuring, natural.

Against him, Tessa wasn’t shaking or frowning. She wouldn’t never let something like that show when they were in public. She leaned against him, though, and let out a long breath.

He wanted to ask about every detail of the evening, check she was okay. He wanted to hug her and hold her, and make sure nobody else every touched her again. He wanted to tell her never to think she wasn’t worth being treasured and adored every second of the day.

Instead, Scott kissed her temple and reached for her hand.

“Call it a night?” Scott asked. Tessa squeezed his fingers and let him lead the way home.


End file.
